Numb
by D. R. Reivyn
Summary: The boys meet a girl with a past similar to their own. Sam feels a connection to her and wants to take her under their wing. But will she be a help, or a hindrance in their hunt for the Demon?
1. Prologue

_**Disclaimer: **As many of you know, I have absolutely no rights to the show Supernatural. Sad, but true. But Adriana, as well as her dysfunctional family is mine, so no touchy._

_**Author's Note:** Okay, so I don't seem to be very good at continuing these things. But I have so many ideas! Anyway, please be nice. I would absolutely love reviews. But none of the flamy sort. This story starts off sometime after Simon Said. Spoilers will be thrown in as the season progresses._

_**Summary:** The boys meet a girl with a past similar to their own. Sam feels a connection to her and wants to take her under their wing. But will she be a help, or a hindrance in their hunt for the Demon?_

* * *

Pownal, Vermont

"Adriana, get back here now!"

The slam of the door could be heard through out the house. It didn't even have the chance to fade before Linkin Park was blaring from speakers within the room. But even that couldn't compete with the now crying baby. Chiara sighed and looked at her husband. He simply shrugged. "She's your daughter. I can't help you." And it was true. Addy couldn't stand her stepfather, and he was half the reason for their fight. Chiara rubbed her pounding temple as she walked up the stairs. She knocked on her daughter's door, which had a large WARNING sign on it.

"Addy, come on. Open the door and we can talk about this civilly." She waited a minute. When the door still didn't open she gave up and went to check on Lily.

* * *

Addy turned down the music a bit so she could hear whether or not her mother left. At the sound of footsteps heading for the nursery she relaxed. She didn't want to talk. She just wanted to be angry. She had a right to be. Her mother had married that jerk downstairs, expecting her to be happy about it. Well, she wasn't. In fact she hated him. The only good part about the whole thing was Lily. She loved her baby sister more than anything.

A glance at her calendar made her smile, even through her anger. Today Lily was exactly six months old. She was getting so big. And so loud! Addy was beginning to worry. Lily was still crying. Usually she got quiet after only a minute with their mother. Maybe she should go help her. After all, Lily was more important than a stupid fight.

She shut off the music, which only made Lily's cries that much more pronounced. Addy left her room, and then paused for a moment to look down the stairs. She saw the lights flashing from where Dan watched TV. Her anger came back. Sometimes she wondered if the man cared about his daughter at all.

Disgusted, she crossed the hall and walked into Lily's little nursery. There was her sister, still in her crib, crying. But she didn't see her mother. More worried, she walked over to Lily. She reached in and tickled her, hoping it might turn the tears to laughter. It didn't help. Then something dripped onto her hand. Confused, she lifted her hand to look at it. It was dark. Then there was another drip. This one landed on Lily's pretty white pillow. That's when she looked up… and wished she hadn't.

The scream ripped out of her. She heard a crash from downstairs even as she stared up at her mother, pinned to the ceiling. The blood dripped from her stomach. Then the fire started out of nowhere, just as Dan came running in. "Chiara!" He yelled it. But it was too late. Still, the yell snapped Addy back and she quickly grabbed Lily from the crib, just before it went up in flames. She ran out of there and tried not to look back.

* * *

They blamed it all on faulty wiring. She knew it wasn't. Dan blamed her. She didn't care. Her mother was gone, and the last thing Addy had done was fight with her, and then ignore her. Just remembering it hurt.

Now she stood, holding Lily in her arms, as they buried an empty coffin. Her mother's body hadn't been recovered, but Dan had insisted on some type of closure. Addy had stayed out of it. She didn't want to fight with him anymore. There wasn't any point in it now.

Dan rested a hand on her shoulder as the crowd dispersed. "We should get back to my sister's. They'll be expecting us."

She looked up at him, her dark brown eyes empty. "I'm leaving tomorrow."

His lips tightened in annoyance, but he nodded. "That's your decision. But if you leave now, I won't take you back."

"That's fine with me." She kissed Lily's rosy cheek before passing her to him. Then she turned and walked away.


	2. Caught in the Undertow

_**Author's Note: **Sorry this took so long. It just didn't want to work for awhile there. Anyway, I hope you like it. Let me know what you think.  
_

* * *

**One Year Later**

Sam dreamed of Jessica. It was always the same. The blood, the pain, the fire. He'd hoped after a year the nightmare would go away. But it didn't. At least he didn't wake up screaming anymore.

This time, though, Dean woke him before it got to the fire. He opened his eyes to see they were at the Roadhouse. Good, because he really needed a beer.

Dean watched his little brother carefully. Things had been strained since their dad died. And it seemed like every little thing made it worse. "You okay man?"

Sam glanced at Dean. "Yeah. Let's go in." He opened his door and got out before Dean could say anything else. They made their way inside, and the noise hit them first. There was always something playing on the juke box, and hunters always seemed to be talking. Ellen was behind the bar, pulling beer and joking with a regular. Jo was serving drinks and glaring at a rather intoxicated man. When she looked up and saw them her frown turned into a smile. She said something pithy before walking over to greet them. "Hey guys. Nice to know you remember us little people."

"Hey Jo," Sam said quietly before heading off toward the bar.

She watched him walk away before turning back to Dean. "What's with him?"

Dean shrugged. "I never know anymore." He decided to change the subject. "So, how are you?"

She smiled up at him. "Pretty good." They were walking slowly toward the bar. "What about you? How's hunting?"

"Same." He looked over to see a girl at one of the shooting games. "Bit young for your usual clientele," he said with a nod toward her as he sat next to Sam.

Sam followed his brother's gaze as Jo explained. "She's eighteen, and she helps out sometimes when she comes through."

"What do you mean 'comes through'?" Sam asked her.

"She's a hunter," Jo told him, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Then she picked up the full tray her mother handed her and went off to serve.

The brothers traded a glance. "Hey Ellen, what do you know about her?" Sam asked in his usual quiet voice.

She placed two bottles in front of them before leaning on the bar. "Not much. She's quiet, tends to keep to herself. Started coming in about a year back. Seemed to be new to the hunt. Wanted to learn I suppose. Guess she learned what she wanted to."

Sam watched as the girl finished her game and checked her scores. She seemed a bit disappointed. He busied himself with his beer as she turned and walked up to the bar. "Got any Code Red, Ellen?"

Ellen smiled and reached under the bar, bringing out a twenty ounce bottle of Mt. Dew. "You're a caffeine junkie, Addy."

Addy laughed and took the bottle before handing Ellen a few bills. "What can I say? It keeps me going." She took a quick pull. "Got anything else for me?"

"No, it's been pretty quiet lately. I'll make sure to keep an eye out though, since you're in town."

With a nod Addy headed off to a table in the corner.

"Addy?"

"Short for Adriana," Ellen told Dean, looking at him blandly.

Sam studied Addy as she walked off. "You send her on hunts?"

"Mostly your basic cases. A couple exorcisms, some salt and burns." She grinned. "I save the real scary stuff for you boys."

Jo came back over and set her tray on the bar. "Why are you so interested in her, anyway? I mean she's just a kid."

"I don't know," Sam said. "Something about her just seems familiar." He shook his head and took another sip of beer.

Dean watched his little brother, worried. His own beer sat, ignored, in front of him.

* * *

Addy felt their attention, even as she sat with her back to them. But, as usual, she ignored it. She brushed back a few strands of her brown-black hair as she flipped through her journal. It was sadly lacking. With a sigh she drank some more of her soda, then pulled her laptop in front of her. If Ellen didn't have another case, she'd just have to find one herself.

After fifteen minutes of intense searching she hit gold. Or so she thought. It seemed that something was lurking in the woods of eastern New York. Campers had been disappearing left and right. And with a bit more searching she saw that each attack was at the perfect point in the lunar cycle. "Bingo," she whispered. Her first werewolf. She packed her things up quickly and headed over to the bar. "How much do I owe you for the room Ellen?"

"Leaving already? I thought you were gonna stick around for a few days."

Addy shook her head, barely containing herself. "Nope, found something new."

"Oh yeah, what's that?" Jo asked, coming up from behind her with more orders.

She grinned. "Werewolf."

Jo groaned. "You're killing me." She wanted to get her hands on something like that.

"Werewolves are dangerous. You ever fought one before?" Dean asked, taking a sip of his beer.

"No, but I know the basics. Silver bullet to the heart and all that. Shouldn't be too hard."

"You'd be surprised," Sam put in.

Ellen nodded. "You be careful. As for the room, I'll put it on your tab."

"But Ellen," Addy protested. "I have no problem paying now. I got lucky a few weeks back so I'm good for it," she told with a wink.

"Alright." She named the price and waited while Addy handed it over. "Now, you call me in a day or two. I wanna know that you're alive."

"Will do." She went off to the back to get the rest of her stuff from the room.

Sam studied the worry on Ellen's face. Jo noticed and said "Mom's decided to watch over the kid. Addy lost her mom about a year back. Seems like the reason she got into all of this."

His brows furrowed. "Do you know how?"

Jo looked at Ellen, who shook her head. "Addy doesn't really talk about it. Why?"

But Sam was quiet. Dean got worried again. "What are you thinking?"

"Remember what came back a year ago?"

"Oh c'mon Sammy. She's a bit old for the Demon to come after her." But Ellen and Jo were sharing looks, and both had paled a bit. "What?"

"She has a little sister," Ellen told them. "A baby sister, really, since she's only a year and a half old. I never put it together before."

"Whoa, hold on a second. Don't you think that's still reaching?"

"Not really," Sam told his brother. "But there's one way to make sure. Do either of you know where she used to live?" He took out his laptop as he asked them.

Ellen shook her head again, but Jo said "Vermont. Not sure where exactly, but she mentioned it a couple times."

"Alright." It annoyed him that his cast slowed his efforts, but he still managed to find what he needed after a bit. "Looks like there were quite a few fatal fires in Vermont around that time. Only one happened in a nursery though. Chiara Delaine, wife and mother of two. She was thirty-seven." He knew that if they had Ash check for signs of the Demon in that area a year back it would light up like a Christmas tree.

Dean clenched his jaw. "Now what Sam? The Demon was after her sister, not her. It's none of our business."

"Exactly," Addy said behind them, her voice quiet and full of anger.

Sam winced and turned to face her. "Look, the same thing happened to our mom. She died on the ceiling of my nursery, and there was a fire."

Addy's hands were fisted at her sides. "You know what did it?" she asked.

He nodded. "It's a demon. He's done it to countless other families. Not that it makes things any better."

"A demon." She'd always known it was something supernatural. It was the reason she'd become a hunter. But she hadn't known exactly what. Now she did, and it didn't help much. She had no idea how to a fight a demon. Still, she'd vowed to kill whatever had murdered her mother, and she would. "I need to know everything you know about it. Then I'm gonna help you kill it."

* * *

_I do so love a good cliffhanger. Thoughts?_


	3. Lost Under the Surface

_**Author's Note:** I'm said these keep taking forever. The story keeps going in my head, but it doesn't always want to be written right away. Anyway, many, many thanks to all of you who commented. I'm glad you're enjoying this. Your input is always helpful.  
_

* * *

There was silence for a moment. Then Dean spoke up. "No way, kid. You have no idea what you're up against."

She glared at him. "This thing killed my mother. I'm not going to just ignore it."

"Well don't look at us to help you get yourself killed."

"Dean," Sam began, but his brother cut him off.

"No, no way. She's been hunting for barely a year. We've fought this thing Sam. We both know how bad it is."

"And I know what it's like to want to kill it more than breathe." He waited, watching his brother struggle with his temper.

Addy looked between the two. "You can help me or not. Either way, I'm learning everything I can about it, then hunting it."

"Good luck killing it," Dean muttered.

Sam shot a look at him. Addy seemed confused. "What he means is that there are no easy ways of killing demons. The only one we had was… lost." He had to pause for a moment. Thinking about his father and the way things had been left still hurt him. "So even if you found it, you wouldn't be able to kill it."

Her nails dug into her palms. "Maybe you've given up, but I won't. I'd walk through hell to find a way to kill it." She turned on her heal and walked out.

"Happy now?" Sam asked his brother before getting up and following her.

Dean rolled his eyes. "It's always my fault."

Outside, Addy was loading her bags into a Jeep. She tensed when she heard Sam's footsteps, but continued what she was doing. Sam shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to think of what to say. "We haven't given up. But killing the Demon isn't all that I'm worried about."

Finally she stopped and turned around. "What could be more important than that?"

"The Demon, he chooses these kids for a reason. Kids like me. Kids like your sister." He let that sink in before her went on. "So far, all we know is that the ones around my age have developed different psychic abilities." He laughed at himself. "God I sound crazy."

She allowed herself a half smile. "Not so much. It's not really a stretch after believing in demons and other supernatural things." She leaned back against her Jeep. "So what's yours? You know, your psychic thing," she explained when he looked confused.

"Oh, um, I have visions." He looked away as he said it. It wasn't exactly something he enjoyed talking about.

"So you can, what, see what the weather's gonna be like tomorrow?"

He smiled weakly. "No, it doesn't come on command or anything. I see things that have to do with the Demon, or other kids it's affected." He tried not to think about all those who he'd seen die because of the bastard.

For a moment there was silence. Then Addy broke it. "If you haven't given up, then what are you doing about it?"

"We're looking for a way to kill it. And we're trying to help the other kids who've gone through hell because of this thing." Then, remembering what Dean had said to him once, he added "But mostly, we're killing every evil son of a bitch we come across."

That made her smile fully. "I like to think of it as practice. I want to make sure I'm in top shape when I go after the bastard."

"Well, one thing you need to learn is that you should practice alone. Especially when you're just starting out."

"There isn't exactly a hunters training program I could join. Most hunters have already been doing this for years. They don't want some girl following them around, nagging about how to kill this and that." Thinking about it stung, because that was just how she'd been greeted when she first discovered the Roadhouse.

Sam couldn't really imagine what it like to going so long without knowing, and then suddenly learning the truth. His dad had never talked about it. And Dean had been too young to fully be effected by it. "Look, maybe you could come with us for awhile. We've been doing this since we were kids."

Addy looked at him skeptically. "You'd really do that?"

He shrugged. "Yeah. I'll talk to Dean."

"And I'd say you need more sleep Sammy. Because you're obviously dreaming if you think I'm gonna take the kid with us." They both turned to see Dean coming down the steps.

"I figured as much," Addy said, and went back to packing her Jeep.

Sam looked between her and Dean. "C'mon Dean. You're just gonna let her hunt by herself. She's still a kid."

"Hey!" Addy protested, but both men ignored her.

"Exactly, she's a kid. She'll just get in the way. She should just go home and try to forget about the things that go bump in the night."

That's when Addy stalked over and punched him. She had a mean right hook and it nearly knocked him off his feet. Dazed, he rubbed his aching jaw before glaring at her. "How dare you?! That fucking demon killed my mother. It's not some nightmare that'll go away. You can just go to hell if you think I'm going to give up because you don't think I can handle it."

Dean rubbed his jaw some more and studied her. After a moment he said "It's not that I don't think you can handle. I don't want you to have to. This life is hell. No one should want it." His eyes shifted to Sam even as both Addy and his brother reeled from his statement. "But since you don't seem like you're going to give in, and since you can fight, I guess you can hang around for a bit. At least long enough to learn how to kill a werewolf the right way."

Addy blinked a few times as she tried to process what Dean had just said. "So I can come?"

Sam was grinning at this point. "Looks like."

Addy couldn't help but grin too. "Let's go kill us some evil sons'a bitches!"

* * *

_I couldn't resist throwing that in. Let me know what you think._


End file.
